Pencil-sharpening machine



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

F. M. LIVINGSTON. PENGIL SHARPENINGMAGHINE.

No. 445,677. Patented Feb. 3, 1891.

UNTTED STATES PATENT lTErcE.

FRANCIS M. LIVINGSTON, OF NFYVARK, NElV JERSEY.

PENClL-SHARPENING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,677, dated February 3, 1891. Application filed June 6, 1890. Serial No. 854,506. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. LIVINGSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil-Sharpening Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is more particularly to enable leadpencils, 850., to be sharpened with greater perfection and facility, to prevent the lead from being broken during the operation of sharpening, to enable the pencil to be sharpened on one side only should the lead be eccentrically arranged in the wooden body, so that the said wooden body will not extend after the sharpening operation to the point of the pencil, and thus interfere with the writing, as will be understood.

The invention consists in the improved pencil-sharpener, and in the arrangements and combinations of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved sharpener. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail plan of the revolving file and its cooperating parts. Fig. a is a section of the same, taken on line :0. Fig. 5 is a section on line a. Fig. (5 is a face view of the said revolving file, and- Fig. 7 is a section taken on line y. Fig. 8 is a front view of a recessed bearing, and Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are views showing various forms of pencil-points.

In said drawings, a indicates a bed-plate, which may be screwed or otherwise secured upon a desk or table. This is provided at one end with a standard, post, or bearing-arm a, in which a driving or crank shaft Z) has its bearings, the said shaft extending through a tubular upper part a integrally formed on said arm. At the forward part of said tubular portion a is rigidly secured a stationary cog wheel or annular rack c, the cogs c of which are formed on the vertical face thereof, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The crank or driving shaft extends forward in front of said wheel, and on the same is screwed and held in fixed relation thereto a revolving carrier cl of irregular shape, which provides bearings for a shaft 6 for a sharpening-file f. The arm 71, of said carrier, which provides bearings for said shaft e, is formed eccentric to the center of motion of said revolving carrier and holds the said file-shaft in a line parallel or approximately parallel with the face or plane of the fixed cog-wheel, so that when the said driving-shaft is turned by the crank the said file-shaft will describe a circuit in a plane parallel with the said plane'of the said fixed cog-wheel. At the outer end of said file-shaft is arranged a pinion 70, which engages the fixed cog-Wheel or annular rack, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when the carrier (1 is turned rapid rotary movement is given to the file-shaft, as will be evident.

The file f, which serves to sharpen the pencil, consists of a disk one face of which is roughened or provided with a large number of abrading or cutting edges such as are provided on an ordinary file. The said filingsurface lies nearly parallel or nearly in line with the center of motion, lying, however, slightly at an angle to the axial center of the shaft 1), the angle equal to the desired inclination of the pencil-point. The face of the disk may be fiat and make a straight inc1ination orbevel of the pencil end, as indicated in Fig. 11; or, and preferably, the said face of the disk is shaped about as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the point of the pencil will be more nearly like the points illustrated in Figs. 9 or 10, so that the lead will not be cut away to such an extent as it would be by the fiat filesurface. The carrier d is also provided with another eccentric-arm m, which extends to a point in front of the file, where it is provided with a bearing a, adapted to hold the point or end of the pencil to be sharpened against the said file. The said bearing is provided with a funnel-shaped aperture 0, open on the side toward the file, and the axial center of the said funnel-shaped aperture is exactly in line with the center of movement of the bearing a, so that as the bearing a revolves with the carrier d the aperture remains in stationary position, holding the point of the pencil while the file moves around said point, cutting away the wood therefrom as the pencil is pressed longitudinally into said aperture and against said file by hand. Forward of said aperture the bed-plate is provided with apost p, having at its upper end a perforation of about the diameter of the pencil. The said perforated post acts as a guide and bearing for the pencil, and in certain cases as a fulcrum by which the pencil may be forced more effectively against the file. The pencil remains stationary while being sharpened, being simply held by the hand of. the operator.

Should the lead be out of the longitudinal axial center of the pencil, so that the wood onone side thereof will still extend to the point, I may remove the objectionable wood at the one side by allowing the file to out only against the same. This is accomplished by turning the crank reciprocally but asmall portion of. a complete revolution, so that the filereciprocates against the said objectionable wood until the same is removed, as will be understood.

The movement of the file and the formation of the teeth thereof is such as to cut backward from the point of the pencil. This is secured by making the revolving and stationary bearings for' the pencil so that they direct the pencil away from the longitudinal center of the revolx' ing disk, the said disk being eccentric to the center of movement of the disk, as indicated in Fig- 1. Thus there is no danger of the lead being broken by undue forward draft. or pulling on the lead, the force being against the protected part of the lead, as will be understood. The very small amount of wood removed by each abrading tooth prevents a roughness remaining after sharpening because of the said teeth working against the ends of the longitudinally-disposed fiber of the-wood.

I prefer to make the bearing n adjustable or interchangeable, and I also prefer to make the filing-disk adjustable, so that its angle of inclination may be changed at will to suit the disposition of. the operator.

The file-shaft e, to secure the desired change of inclination, may be in an adjustable sleeve p, Fig. 4, having an inclined longitudinal perforation th'erethrough to receive the said shaft. Said sleeve is fixed in its relation to the carrier, preferably, by means of a setscrew q. By loosening said set-screw and changing the relative position of the. sleeve the inclination of the shaft 6 and disk f will be changed, as will be clearly apparent.

The arm on may be adjustable or interchangeable, and the file may be easily removed from its shaft and a new one substituted therefor. Various other modifications may be made without departing from the 6 spirit of the invention, and the device may be employed in sharpening other than leadpencils.

lVhat I claim as new is 1. The improved filing-machine for sharpening lead-pencils, combining with a file revolving on two axes a bearing revolving on one axis on the face of said file, the center of motion of which is eccentric to the center of movement of said file, substantially as set forth.

2. The improved pencil-sharpener, combining with a file revolving with a carrier on a crank-shaft, and also on its own aXis,-a bearing for the pencil, also revolving on the said carrier and arranged adjacent to the face of said file, whereby the point of the pencil may be interposedbetween said file and bearing, the center of? movement of thebearing being eccentric to the center of movement of the tile, substantially as and for the pu-rposes set forth- 3. The improved sharpener herein described, combining. therein a bedrplate. having an armv a, a crank-shaft and fixed cogwheel or annular rack arranged on said arm, acarrier arranged on said crank-shaft and provided with bearings for a sleeve 12', said sleeve having an inclined longitudinal perfora-tion. for a shaft fora sharpening-tool-,.and the said shaft and a pinion arranged thereon and engaging the annular rack, said carrier being also provided with a bearing between which and the sharpening-tool the said pencil may be inserted, substantially as setforth.

4. In a sharpening device for pencils, due, the combination of an inclined. file and a bearing providedv with a flaring or funnelshaped recess, arranged and adapted to sharpen the pencil, substantially as setforth.

5. In a sharpening device, a revolving sharpening-tool and a funnel-shaped bearing, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a sharpening device, acarrierrevolving with a sharpening-tool and bearing 01, in combination with a post or bearing 1?, arranged in front. of said revolving tool and bearing 71, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7 The combination, with a file revolving on its own axis and with its carrier and a bearing n, of a stationary bearing 19, adapted to receive and hold the pencil, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In a pencil-sharpening 'tool,afile having an irregular and roughened surface, whereby the pencil will be given other than a straight bevel or true conical form at the point, substantially as set forth.

9. In a pencil-sharpening tool, the combination, with the revolving carrier (Z, of the shaft 0, arranged in an adjustable sleeve having an inclined shaft-perforation, and a sharpening-tool arranged on said shaft, substantially as set forth.

10. In a pencil-sharpener, the combination,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of i0 June, 1890.

FRANCIS M. LIVINGSTON.

Witnesses:

OSCAR A. MICHEL, JAS. I-I. FLEMING. 

